A Work in Progress….

Genesis 29:22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 

Once again, I wonder what the women think of this situation–not that it matters as their father had final say. Was Leah in favor of the plan? Was Rachel horrified at the plan? And what about Jacob? Did he grasp the absolute irony of this situation, that Laban had done to him something similar to what he did to his own father?

Genesis 29:23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 

And what does God want me to learn from this scripture? The danger of duplicity? The cyclical nature of deception? The frustration and futility of planning your own way, of insisting on your plan, regardless of God’s will? Lord, I’m listening. Help me to understand.

Genesis 29:24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

Precious Savior, My heart hurts for so many of these people, and it is frustrating to realize that greed and selfishness are the cause of all the pain. But I know that I sometimes default to greed and selfishness, too. Forgive me. Help me, when I start down the road that leads to greed and selfishness, to stop, turn around, and return to You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 29:25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 29:18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

The transactional nature of women as property to be given at the whim and will of men angers me greatly, though I know that is “just how it was” at that time in that place. I wonder what Rachel thought of all of this. Did she like Jacob? Love him? Want this marriage? Clearly, it didn’t matter.

Genesis 29:19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 

But it does put Jesus’s view of women and their role in His ministry in a new light. During His active ministry, women were still seen as second-class citizens, yet He doesn’t treat them that way. Similarly, sinners and tax collectors were all-but-outcast, yet Jesus considered Himself a friend of sinners.

Genesis 29:20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Precious Savior, It’s really easy to get sucked into the status quo, to accept what the world accepts and reject what the world rejects. Yet Your life, Your ministry showed us another way. Help me to see others as You see them, to love others as You love them. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 29:21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 

If you are at all familiar with this story, you know that Laban is about to take advantage of Jacob. The small, petty, human side of myself says, “Serves him right.” Jacob took advantage of Esau (selling him stew for his birthright) and his father (tricking him into believing that he was Esau to receive the blessing). Neither of these actions was necessary because God had declared at their birth that the older would serve the younger.

Genesis 29:15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

The good Christian in me knows what God wants me to learn and understand from today’s scripture. He knows my petty attitude is not right, not good–for me or for His glory. He knows that I need to be reminded–again and again and again–to trust Him, that He’s got things under control, that He has a sovereign plan–for my good and His glory. Help me, Jesus.

Genesis 29:16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that vengeance is Yours, not mine, that pettily saying, “Serves him right” is a mild form of vengeance and is a habit I need to break. Help me strive to give grace and mercy as You do so that I can shine Your light well. Amen.

Genesis 29:17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 

As a long time reader, I want more information about my characters in this scene. What was Jacob thinking? What was Rachel’s perception and response? Was Laban acting out of greed (he knew his nephew would inherit much from his Isaac)? And then, another thought: If God uses all of this to accomplish His purposes, does it matter what they are thinking and feeling?

Genesis 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 

If our actions result in God’s will being done, is the state of our heart, are our thoughts and our actions, important? I think so. I think *we* benefit more greatly if our hearts, our minds, our words, our actions are in the right place. God will be glorified regardless, but if we are in the right mental space, *we* will be blessed as well. I think He wants that for His beloved children.

Genesis 29:12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

Precious Savior, Sometimes my attitude stinks. A lot. Forgive me. Help me to get my heart and mind, my behavior and my actions right with You so that as I praise You, as I do Your will, Your blessings can find a home in my heart. That’s what You want for me. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 29:13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 29:6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

Perhaps it’s the time of year–Easter is quickly approaching–but as I read today’s verses, part of verse 8 jumps out to me: “…until…the stone has been rolled away…” Caves were a pretty commonly used item back then. I’m sure stones to seal the entrances were, too, but still it resonates.

Genesis 29:7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Then Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and then, finally, Easter Sunday, when the stone has been rolled away to reveal that He is Risen. He is risen indeed. But just like the shepherd boys, currently, we are waiting for the stone to be rolled away.

Genesis 29:8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

Precious Savior, Help us to be faithful in the waiting. Help us to shine Your light, to study Your word, to uplift Your people, to help each other home, even in the waiting. Help us, as we wait, to draw closer to You. Amen.

Genesis 29:9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 29:1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 

As a modern traveler, today’s actions don’t seem like a big deal. He made it to his destination. Yay. However, this isn’t modern travel. There aren’t road signs. There’s no plugging the address into the GPS.

Genesis 29:2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 

So the fact that Jacob not only made it to his destination but also found people who know his uncle definitely feels a bit providential at second glance.

Genesis 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

Precious Savior, Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Help me to trust that You are guiding me. Help me to listen to your still small voice as I plan my steps. Guide me. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 29:4-5 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied. He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 28:18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 

Jacob is setting up an if/then relationship with God in today’s passages. IF God does this, THEN I will praise Him. Unfortunately, Christians have done the same for centuries. I think the biggest area where we fail is when it comes to hardships and pain. Somehow, it often gets twisted up in our minds that IF God loved us, THEN we would be shielded from pain.

Genesis 28:19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Sometimes it takes a crisis of the soul to fully come to terms with the fact that God doesn’t promise us a trouble free life, but He DOES promise to be with us, to never leave us, to never forsake us. He doesn’t promise that we won’t feel pain or sorrow, but He DOES promise that we will never face it alone, that He will ALWAYS be with us.

Genesis 28:20-21 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I forget that You freely gave Your only Son so that I could be restored to You. You understand that pain and loss on a deep, deep level. Forgive me my anger when I have to wade through soul-crushing pain in this life. Thank You that You are with me. Always. Thank You that I never have to face a day without You by my side. Amen.

Genesis 28:22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

I try to live a good, godly life, and I mess up. Every. Single. Day. But Jacob’s story gives me hope. His entire family schemed to get their way. Every single person was duplicitous in some way. But God. God had a plan to send His only Son, through Jacob’s line no less. And God keeps His promises.

Genesis 28:15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

The urge to say, “But that’s not fair” is so strong. Jacob cheated, and still he gets this favor? Rebekah schemed, and still her favorite gets God’s blessing? Isaac tried to circumvent God’s wishes, and still God blesses his line? How is that fair? But I have messed up again and again, and God hasn’t turned His back on me yet. He hasn’t decided I’m just not worth it, either. Thank You, Jesus.

Genesis 28:16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder of grace upon grace that You have lavished on me. Thank You for the reminder that the behaviors that make me want to cry “That’s not fair” are the same things You do for me, day in and day out: second chances, forgiveness, grace, love. Thank You for loving me abundantly, faults and all. Help me to love others as You love me. Amen.

Genesis 28:17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 

Holy Father, Just like Jacob, many of us feel a bit adrift at present. Everything seems…off. Thank You for being sovereign, for still being on Your throne. No matter how chaotic life feels, help me to remember that You are still God. You’ve got us.

Genesis 28:11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 

Loving God, When I take my eyes off of You, when I get distracted by life, fear and anger, anxiety and bitterness creep in. Thank You that You are bigger than my feelings, outside of them. Help me, no matter what I’m feeling, to hold on to You, to trust You. You are God. You are sovereign. You’ve got us.

Genesis 28:12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 

Precious Savior, Creator of the Universe, Thank You for Your fierce love of me. Thank You that You know every hair on my head, every tear that I cry. You haven’t forgotten me. You are with me. Even when it is hard for me to feel Your presence, You are there. Thank You for these truths that I can trust. Thank You for Your unending love. Amen.

Genesis 28:13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 28:5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

There is nothing quite as appealing as something you cannot have. This maxim appears as true in Esau’s time as it is today. Esau saw that Jacob pleased their mother and father with his actions. Esau then decides to take a non-Canaanite wife from his Uncle Ishmael’s daughters. But what is he hoping to gain?

Genesis 28:6-7 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.

This situation brings to mind Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters….” Instead of trying to please his parents, Esau should be trying to please God. We all should. Instead of trying to get accolades from fellow humans, our only concern should be bringing God glory in our thoughts, words, and actions. Help me, Jesus.

Genesis 28:8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 

Precious Savior, I know that I need to live Colossians 3:23, that I need to work at all things as though working for You alone, not for human masters. I know that I need to squash the human tendency for pride, for wanting recognition and accolades for my accomplishments. Help me, Jesus. Help me. Amen.

Genesis 28:9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Have a blessed day.